You are here

2017 ANCOR Leadership Summit

This year has presented many new changes from a new presidential administration, new Congress, new gubernatorial class, and changing state legislatures. Amongst all of these significant political shifts, we have seen the link between federal, state, and local policy seem to grow ever deeper.

Disability service providers are significantly impacted by how closely federal and state issues are connected. Almost a quarter of the federal budget goes to federal and state programs run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Medicaid funding, in particular, represents almost 30% of most state budgets. With all federal and state eyes on Congress’ Medicaid reform efforts this year and with President Trump’s administration focusing on providing policies that advance state flexibility, there is no greater time to explore how to connect how federal and state policy interact.

Join us at this year’s Leadership Summit to talk to key Democratic and Republican strategists on navigating and uplifting disability services in this new environment, learn how state policies can oftentimes be the result of federal policies, get your fill of key data to be active in national and local policy arenas, and learn about model approaches to create change for disability providers in your state. The Leadership Summit will include a Congressional briefing on innovation and technology and a Hill Day to ensure your members of Congress hear your voice!

ANCOR member: $525.00

Non-member: $675.00

Pre-registration has ended. Registration onsite will be available.

Cancellation

Cancellations are subject to a $50.00 processing fee. No refunds will be issued after September 5, 2017. There is no charge for substitutions.

The Dupont Circle Hotel

Reservations

Attractions

Washington thrives on events, both business and social, and The Dupont Circle hotel is a natural host. With an acclaimed restaurant and bar, The Dupont Circle hotel is a true culinary and social destination. Serving locally-sourced and organic French-American cuisine, menus exude a stylish hint of Parisian influence with healthy options and energy-boosting break options.

A 2-minute walk from the Dupont Circle metro station, this modern, boutique style lodging is in a great DC location. The hotel's stylish guest rooms and suites offer cool décor and luxurious comfort, seamlessly blended with the very best technology. Enjoy free wifi in both your hotel room and meeting space.

We are so excited to welcome Josh Earnest as our opening Keynote at the Leadership Summit in September! Earnest was White House Press Secretary for President Obama from 2014-2017 and served as Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary before that. He has also worked with the Democratic National Committee, as well as gubernatorial and presidential campaigns. Earnest is currently is a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC, weighing in on today's political happenings.

In 2015, White House correspondents surveyed by major DC paper Politico voted Earnest the "best White House press secretary I've worked with." Earnest will bring the same shrewd analysis, signature wit and engaging style he was known for as Press Secretary, to ANCOR members this September at the Leadership Summit. We have been following his recommendations for how associations should engage with government, and look forward to having a front row seat to hear his expertise on these issues!

Keynote: The States, the Feds, and Medicaid – Opportunities in a New Administration and Congress

We are thrilled to welcome Chairman Hatch’s key healthcare staff, Stuart Portman, to the Leadership Summit to share the latest work that the Senate Finance Committee is working on! Mr. Portman has engaged ANCOR on issues like Money Follows the Person, Medicaid reform, and other long term services and supports policy. He leads this policymaking on Capitol Hill and we look forward to hearing what is next for Congress in the Medicaid realm.

Panel: Engaging the Numbers – Experts Share How to Use MACPAC, State of the States, and Other Key Data

Data is Power: Power Up at the Leadership Summit!

At last year's Leadership Summit, we heard from the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the wealth of data used for workforce and the deficiencies of quantifying the DSP workforce. ANCOR and its members have turned that knowledge into a state and federal movement to shift how national data reflects our workforce.

This year we are kicking it up a notch by digging into data that impacts disability service providers at the state AND federal level!

We're talking to experts from the official government agency of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) as well as the Coleman Institute to understand how to use the data to effect change at all levels. MACPAC and Coleman's State of the States data have taken center stage in shifting policy decisions around the Department of Labor overtime rule and even the health care bill debate!

Get a front seat in how to use these tools and advance disability services!

Discussion: CMS Regional – State Lessons for Federal Change

Model Behavior – How to Turn Federal Barriers into State Action

Now that Congress has shifted away from the health care debate, several states have taken on individual provisions in the American Health Care Act (AHCA) to enact them at the state level. We are also are now seeing states also take creative measures to make state-focused changes through 1115 waivers as encouraged by leaders in the current Trump Administration. So what do these shifts from federal to state activity mean for disability service providers?

Should ANCOR also seek to move federal objectives at the state level as well? When there are federal barriers to ensuring fair and adequate reimbursement rates, can we create model state legislation that will help make us move this progress forward? Are there other ways to supplement funding to our services through model approaches to state tobacco and alcohol collections? Is there a standard we can follow to guide state involvement with electronic visit verification for our services as now required by federal law?

Attorney Bruce McGlauflin from Petrucelli, Martin and Haddow LLP has played a substantial role in the legal enforcement of disability community services in Maine and is joining us to discuss what is possible and how ANCOR can assist in the creation of model state legislation and policies that will help us overcome some of the hardest barriers we have faced in recent years. McGlauflin will also be joined by a panel with state experts sharing what they have done around the country and what disability service providers can explore for model policy goals. McGlauflin’s session will be followed by a break-out where we will actively engage a working group of attendees in next steps in this exciting ANCOR initiative!

Business Acumen: What We Know and Where We’re Going

ANCOR providers and other disability organizations seeking to work with health plans and other integrated care entities must often address various obstacles or barriers in doing so. Some of these challenges may be internal – knowing the full cost or value of their service or having the systems to facilitate effective and efficient documentation, reporting, or billing systems. Challenges may also be external – knowing who to connect with at the plan, understanding what is important to the payor and their expectations. The Business Acumen Resource Center - funded by the Administration for Community Living and lead by NASUAD in partnership with ANCOR and eight other disability organizations – provides resources to support disability organizations in preparing to effectively cultivate these business opportunities. Join us to hear what we’ve learned so far through the development of the resource center and what we anticipate on the road ahead.

Model State Legislation

Preparing for Hill Day and Update on Congress

In addition to hearing from ANCOR’s key external lobbyists about the Congressional environment, we will review our Hill materials so you are familiar with what to ask your Congressional offices. You do not have to discuss all of these topics – please feel free to pick the one that resonates the most with you and focus on it in your meetings.

Materials to provide your Congressional offices are:

An "About Us" that explains the Medicaid-dependent nature of supports – download here.

When you have a disability or have a family member with a disability, it often shapes your world. We are pleased to have key advocates and family members joining us to share how their work on federal policy issues are driven from personal experience and how that is shaping the broader vision of the disability community with providers as a key player.

Panel: Shifting Defense to Offense – Reimagining Long Term Services and Supports

Whatever the fate of Obamacare under President Trump and congressional Republicans, one piece of it was repealed long ago – and nobody has yet dared to try to replace it. That piece was called the CLASS Act – and it was a small down payment on the most intractable, yet neglected, problem in American healthcare: long term care.

The question of how to care for seniors and Americans with disabilities who need support with the basic activities of daily life – eating, dressing, keeping track of their medicine -- has stymied policymakers for decades. The costs are daunting, and time after time, legislative fixes have foundered before they even get off the ground. These days, many seniors and people with disabilities, who find themselves needing daily services and supports, including nursing care, have to essentially impoverish themselves before the government can step in.

Rodney Whitlock and Connie Garner, reveled health care experts in Washington, DC, will share a new effort to solve the problem of long-term care needs based on “four pillars” of principles to provide structure to a bipartisan solution.

First, a new system should provide health care services and supports across the life span. Second, the system should encourage and incentivize equitable risk for providers. Third, as providers move toward providing care across the continuum and bearing greater risk, there also needs to be a level of assignment of beneficiaries that allows risk bearers to have control of data and achievement of quality outcomes that matter to people. Finally, reform must be based on full availability and participation – much like Medicare.

Join these experts and former Capitol Hill professionals on an innovative exploration of a more efficient, quality-driven system of supports!

ANCOR Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill

Technologies exist today that we could have never imagined and they are being used in creative and effective ways to deliver a myriad of healthcare services. Several states ensure that their Medicaid services for people with disabilities include the ability for providers to use groundbreaking technologies. These include virtual staff sharing models and unique sensor devices to provide more individuals with services and reduce waiting lists while also creating more independent environments for individuals to live and thrive in. However, a number of states do not allow Medicaid funding to be used for these innovative solutions. This briefing will introduce you to what these technologies are and how they are currently being used, explain why most states are not making use of them and what Congress can do to change that, and share why technology must be an integrated feature of Medicaid’s future.

A current political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, Josh Earnest draws on a decade of insider access working alongside President Barack Obama both on the campaign trail and in the White House to provide engaging, razor-sharp analysis on today's top issues.

Rising to international acclaim as President Obama's Press Secretary from 2014-2017, Earnest was selected in the midst of an increasingly caustic media environment to assume the most visible job in American politics. Earnest distinguished himself as Press Secretary – not with bluster – but with a keen ability to marshal facts and construct persuasive arguments that earned him the respect of Washington insiders in both parties.

Earnest stood before the White House press corps each day for the last two and a half years of Obama’s tenure prepared to discuss the most complex and consequential issues in the world. Whether reacting to a legislative setback, a diplomatic breakthrough or a terror attack, Earnest earned a reputation for uncommon poise under an intense spotlight where there is no margin for error. In fact, White House correspondents surveyed by Politico in 2015 voted Earnest the “best White House press secretary I’ve worked with.” Earnest brings the same shrewd analysis, signature wit, and engaging style he was known for as Press Secretary to the newsroom and audiences worldwide.

Bruce D. Greenstein is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As the CTO at HHS, Bruce provides leadership and direction to ensure that HHS effectively uses data, technology and innovation to improve the lives of the American people and the performance of the operating divisions across the Department. Greenstein joins HHS after serving as President - West, at Quartet.

In his last government role, Greenstein held a Cabinet post with Governor Bobby Jindal as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals. As the chief of Louisiana’s largest agency, Greenstein led over 11,000 employees and a budget of over $9 billion. With a talented executive team, Greenstein led many reforms of the state’s health care system, including implementing managed care for over one million enrollees, privatizing state health care facilities, increasing the state’s adoption of health information technology, and passionately leading the Birth Outcomes Initiative.

Prior to his position as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals in Louisiana, Greenstein was an executive at Microsoft where he led the company’s worldwide health and human service business vertical with teams across the globe. He developed and led the worldwide go-to-market strategy and execution, as well as the development, promotion and maintenance of relationships with government and health care elites (CEOs, Ministers, and Secretaries, of health care organizations) to drive Microsoft’s value to customers in health care. Before Microsoft, Greenstein held senior positions in the federal government at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as in Florida state government.

Stephen Hinkle

Stephen Hinkle is a self-advocate, an international speaker on autism and disability policy, and works as an online lecturer for Lesley University and previously worked as computer network administrator and technician.nOver the past 17 years, Stephen has travelled to 24 states plus Australia to speak about autism, disability policy, inclusion, transition, social skills, and more to parent groups, disability organizations, schools, universities, and many more organizations. He is a currently a board member of Autism Society San Diego and Disability Voices United. In his past, Stephen was told he had no future and today he is a graduate of San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a Master’s Degree from Northern Arizona University with a master’s degree in Special Education Disability Policy.

Prior to joining ML Strategies, Katie was a senior analyst with the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a nonpartisan agency that provides Congress, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and states with analysis and recommendations on issues affecting Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). There Katie researched, developed, and prepared Medicaid policy recommendations; conducted legislative analyses, data analyses, and policy analyses related to a host of Medicaid and Medicare issues; and provided policy analyses and technical assistance for Congressional staff on draft bills and policy questions, among many other duties.

Earlier, working in the office of Senator Charles Grassley, Katie conducted policy analyses and researched policy options relating to the future of CHIP and efforts to improve targeting of funding from the 340b Drug Discount Program. She also conducted literature reviews and policy analyses on the effects of “family glitch” and potential policy solutions for eliminating it; facilitated meetings with constituents, industry groups, and patient advocates; and worked with Congressional staff across offices and committees to develop, edit, and finalize bills.

Bruce McGlauflin
Attorney, Petrucelli, Martin and Haddow LLP

Bruce McGlauflin was born in Portland, Maine and currently resides in Bath, Maine. He is admitted to practice in Maine, the State of New Hampshire, the United States District Court for the District of Maine, and in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Mr. McGlauflin is a 1973 graduate of Bucknell University (B.S.), the University of Maine Graduate School in Community Development (M.P.S.), and the University of Maine School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude), where he was the recipient of the West's Award for Excellence in the study of Bankruptcy and the Independent Writing Project Award. In 1996-1997, he served as Judicial Clerk to the Hon. Daniel E. Wathen, Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

Mr. McGlauflin is the author of The exception that threatens to swallow the statute: The statutory exception to Maine's Unfair Trade Practice Act. 21 Me. Bar Journal 3 (2006); Something confusing happened on the way to modernizing Maine’s Adverse Possession Law, 25 Me. Bar Journal 1 (2010), and the Power of One, the Discretionary Authority of a Code Enforcement Officer, 29 Me Bar Journal 3 (2014). He received the Vincent L. McKusick Award for his 2010 article and for his 2014 article. The award, which is referred to as "the Vincent" recognizes the Maine Bar Journal article that “best enhances the understanding of the law of this state.”

Mr. McGlauflin is a Fellow of the Maine Bar Foundation. He is a Past President of the Bath Area Family YMCA and past Treasurer and Board Member of the University of Maine Law School Alumni Association Board of Directors. He serves on the governing committee for the Mid Coast Senior Health Center; and as Chairman of the Maine Legislative Action Committee for the New England chapter of the Community Associations Institute.

Rodney L. Whitlock
Vice President, Health Policy, ML Strategies

Rodney is a veteran health care policy professional with more than 20 years of experience working with the US Congress, where he served as health policy advisor and as Acting Health Policy Director for Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and, earlier, on the staff of former US Representative Charlie Norwood of Georgia.

During his years with Representative Norwood, Rodney managed the Patients’ Bill of Rights, which passed the House in 1999 and 2001. In February 2005, Rodney left the office of Congressman Norwood to join the Finance Committee Staff as a health policy advisor to Chairman Grassley. In that capacity, he was lead Senate staffer for the Medicaid provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006.

In 2007, Rodney worked on the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, which passed Congress twice and was subsequently vetoed twice by President George W. Bush. Rodney spent 2009 and 2010 deeply engaged in health care reform legislation. Late in 2010, he became the Acting Health Policy Director for Senator Grassley, and shepherded the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010 into law. Following his tenure in Senator Grassley’s Congressional office, Rodney served as Health Policy Director in the Senator’s personal office.

Alfonso Guida
President, Guida Consulting Services, Inc.

Al Guida spent seven years coordinating state and federal government affairs at the National Mental Health Association, and founded NMHA’s State Health Care Reform Department. In that capacity, he amassed considerable experience in the mental health policy arena. For example, Al played a role in passing mental health parity legislation in 1996, secured provisions in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) mandating the provision of mental health care for eligible youngsters, and assisted in increasing federal funding for the Children’s Mental Health Services Program.

Since starting GSC, Al has assisted the Eli Lilly and Company to battle proposals by the Veterans Administration to impose fail first policies on veterans struggling with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He also consulted with the Gallup Organization on a public education program financed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to fight the social stigma associated with mental illness; this project will be focused on state capitals in California, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, Massachusetts and Wisconsin. Al is also helping Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD) sponsor congressional staff briefings on the science of ADHD, primarily in response to continuous attack from anti-psychiatry organizations.

Finally, Al recently partnered with a public relations firm (GYMR) on a program to assist the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) in fighting state efforts to reduce Medicaid financed access to vital prescription medications and community-based services. Immediately prior to becoming an independent consultant, Al was Executive Director of the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign, which ran public service advertising on the MTV Music Network, again addressing the stigma of mental disorders among young people.

Constance Garner
Policy Director/Practice Leader, Foley Hoag

Connie Garner focuses her practice as Policy Director in the Government Strategies Practice Group, and Executive Director for Advance CLASS, Inc. Her areas of experience include health care, mental health and substance use disorders, disability, long term care, and education. Prior to rejoining Foley Hoag in 2012, she was the Executive Vice President for Policy at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP).

Kim Opsahl

Kim Opsahl leads ANCOR’s ACL Business Acumen grant-related activities. She brings over 20 years’ experience working with state government and advocating on behalf of programs and services for Hoosiers with disabilities. Prior to working with ANCOR, she served as the President/CEO for the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (INARF). In that role, she was responsible for developing and directing the Association’s resources in order to meet the needs of Indiana’s disability service provider industry, which serves over 20,000 individuals and employs over 26,000 Hoosiers throughout Indiana. During her nearly thirteen years with INARF – three as President/CEO - Kim graduated summa cum laude from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. During that time, she also received her Health Law Certificate, served as the Indiana Health Law Review (IHLR), Vol. X’s Executive Business Editor, and had her law review note – Using Integrated Care to Meet the Challenge of the ADA’s Integration Mandate: Is Managed Long-Term Care the Key to Addressing Access to Services? – selected by IHLR for publication. She was admitted to practice in the State of Indiana in October 2014.

Erica Anderson is the Senior Director of the Disability Network Business Acumen Center at the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD). In that role, she manages the Business Acumen for Disability Organizations Resource Center. Prior to joining NASUAD, she worked at the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) where she was responsible for project management and research related to quality measure development for LTSS and person-driven care, and was instrumental in the recent release of the accreditation standards for LTSS. Before joining NCQA, she spent seven years in managed care operations at a FIDE-SNP in Wisconsin which offered full acute, primary and long-term care services to frail elders and those with physical and/or intellectual or developmental disabilities. Erica received her master’s degree in Gerontology from Bethel University and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin - Stout.

Laura Vegas
Project Director for MCO Business Acumen, NASDDDS

Laura Vegas has more than 24 years of experience working in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Laura serves as the Project Director for MCO Business Acumen for the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disability Services (NASDDDS). Prior to joining NASDDDS, Laura was the Director of Employment and Community First CHOICES and Select Community for BlueCross/BlueShield of TN. Employment and Community First CHOICES is TN’s new Managed Long Term Services and Supports HCBS program for people with IDD that went live July 1, 2016. Laura also worked for the TN Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for more than 17 years, serving most recently as Assistant Commissioner for Policy and Innovation. While at DIDD, the NCI project launched under her leadership. She also lead the Department in receiving Person Centered Systems accreditation from CQL, the Supporting Families CoP and the Becoming a Person Centered Organization CoP. Laura began her career by working for a non-profit IDD provider organization in Tennessee.